


Stolen Moments

by Nevi



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-21
Updated: 2012-10-21
Packaged: 2017-11-16 18:54:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/542731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nevi/pseuds/Nevi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A stolen moment during the war.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stolen Moments

Update:  the lovely and talented [Barbex](http://archiveofourown.org/users/barbex/pseuds/barbex) has done a reading of this story which can be found on her blog [here.](http://barbexreadsaloud.tumblr.com/post/97908279065/another-reading-for-everythingelseiswinter-i)

* * *

 

The air is warm; the sun, setting in the distance, colours of purple and red streak the sky and if not for the stench of rotting husks and burning buildings it might even be beautiful. Garrus leans back against a dented crate near the extraction zone, they have the data they were sent to collect and they managed one hell of a show when Shepard blew the base they extracted it from straight to hell.

He’d told her once she couldn’t fight the Reapers stylishly without him, but he knew that wasn’t quite true. He catches the faint sound of her laughter brought on the breeze and turns his head slightly to her voice. He watches as she crouches behind a piece of rubble with Vega, he can’t quite make out everything they are saying but it seems they too are just happy to be able to catch a breath, even if they know it won’t be for long.

He watches as the setting sun runs over her hair, the traces of light weaving through the tresses and kissing her cheeks. He admires how her mouth moves as she speaks with Vega, knowing both the strength of words they can entice and the soft pressure they exert when they touch his own lip plates. She raises her eyes to him and he can’t help but return the small smile that graces her features when she sees him watching.

She rises from her seat next to Vega and leaves him with a light pat on the shoulder. Garrus’ keen sniper eyes follow her as she makes her way towards him, cautious of the fact they are still in a war zone but confident that for now, they are safe. He finds he can read her every quirk and movement and he can’t help but wonder if that is from bonding in battle or the bedroom.

“Hey big guy, need any water?” She offers an unopened bottle as she slides down next to him, her armor clacking softly as her back hits the crate and her boot and arm hits his own, neither of them moves to create space.

He takes the bottle from her, letting his armoured talons linger on her gloved fingers, so alien yet so familiar. Garrus lets his fringe scrape the top of the crate as he lifts his head back to let the water trail down his dry throat. He can see in the corner of his eye that she watches him. Her bright eyes full of life and mischief.

He can’t help but cock his head to her in exasperation, “What?”

She looks down at her hands laying in the dirt between her bent knees. “Nothing” She responds, but he sees the smile playing on her lips. He knows better than to press it so he nudges her shoulder with his own instead and says “Thank you.”

She looks up at him incredulously “For what?”

“For always getting my ass out of the fire, for taking me with you back in the day to fight Saren, for this water…” His mandibles flare slightly as she punches him half heartily in the arm.

“Ass” A smile plays on her lips.

“In that case I should be thanking you too; pretty sure you’ve pulled my sorry ass out of the fire more times than I can count.” His heart flutters as she rests her head on his shoulder.

He wraps an arm around her and leans his head on hers “In that case they better remember to make a statue of me when you kick the Reapers back into whatever black hole they crawled out of.”

Her laughter is music to his ears. “Garrus Vakarian, saving Commander Shepard’s ass since 2183”

“And what a fine ass it is.”

“I don’t know what I would do without you, Garrus” He lifts his head to get a better look at her and finds her doing the same. He can see conviction in her eyes as she lifts a hand to trace her thumb along his colony markings, he finds he can’t help but lean into the touch. He lets his eyes close and his mouth meet hers the way she had taught him all those moons ago and relishes the warmth of her breath in his mouth and the taste of her tongue as it darts in to meet his.

There’s heaviness in his chest, a desperation clinging to his heart and he can’t help but wonder how many more of these stolen moments they’ll have before the end. He can feel her kiss deepen, feel her own silent fear bare into him. As he opens his eyes he sees a single drop of dampness on her cheek, he silently brushes it away. Neither would ever admit it fell in the first place, a silent victim of hope.

“Shuttle inbound Commander” He hears Vega call.

“I see it” She responds, but Garrus notices her eyes never leave his own, and in them he sees his own heart reflected.

She places a hand on his shoulder to gain leverage to stand and offers her grasp to him when she gains balance. He willingly takes it, just to see the smile on her face. He doesn’t let go of her hand and she doesn’t try to extract it until they are aboard the shuttle, when they are forced to.

She sits beside him in the small space and leans her head back against the side of the ship. He can’t help but chuckle as her head unceremoniously falls into his arm a few minutes later. He shifts to give her sleeping form a bit more comfort and it lets him breathe her in; gun oil, blood, and a faint scent that reminds him of the silver flowers that grew along the house of his childhood home on Palaven. He uses the trip back to the Normandy to reflect on the things that make her Shepard, the things that make her his, the little things that he loves about her.

All the reasons he does _love her._

**Author's Note:**

> Fill for this prompt on MEK:
> 
> "Don't pay mind if this is oddly specific—I just saw something like this in a dream, and as I am not a writer myself... you get the picture. I fully blame the extended cut. So, Shepard ad Garrus are somewhere on a mission, slightly separated from the other team, laying low in cover below something what looks like a partly collapsed building/street. There's no any immediate danger, and they're... waiting for something? Just killing time before the shuttle/enemy forces show up? But they have to keep their voice and heads low just in case. As these things seem to exist in my head, this bit was titled "Garrus doubts himself"—he talks about his position as the reaper advisor and sort of... just confides in Shepard. They keep a relatively light and teasing tone to it though, and it is here after some thoughtful silence that Garrus realises he loves Shepard. He doesn't say it there though, because it is at once new and familiar and old and strange for Garrus. He's both shocked and... not, about his realisation. And then they kiss there in the rubble and everything was perfect but everything changed when the reapers attacked.
> 
> I'd imagine this all took place somewhere after the Citadel date and before the whole Priority: Earth mission.
> 
> So, some eye-opening convo + kisses please?"
> 
> Originally posted: July 10, 2012


End file.
